Lathyrus Linifolius Var. Montanus

Mountain bitter vetch is a hardy European perennial with upright, non-climbing stems, narrow paired leaflets and clusters of purple-red pea flowers that age towards blue. It grows from small underground tubers, once known in Scotland as cramp roots and carried or eaten in folk tradition to ward off hunger and muscular pain. The species is now usually called Lathyrus linifolius and occurs in heaths, woods and upland grassland. Compact and long lived, it is a refined spring-flowering pea for naturalistic borders and woodland edges.